(GL) The Supporting Female Character Strategy Manual - Chapter 48

A white memory stone with a worn surface was retrieved from her storage bag. It even had a red dot deliberately marked on it, looking like a treasure that had been cherished for a long time.

Actually, everyone understood very clearly that memory stones were used to store the beautiful moments they encountered throughout their long lives. However, when Jian Tongyao brought out a memory stone after a century-long reunion, it attracted attention.

Xiang Tian was vigilant. “What is that?”

Jian Tongyao played with it in her hand.

“What are you afraid of? Could it be that your Senior Sister would harm you?”

If those past events hadn’t occurred, Xiang Tian would have harbored some gratitude toward this Second Sister. Within the Lingshen Sect, he had entered late and was ranked the youngest. This Second Sister, Jian Tongyao, was quite loving toward her junior brothers and sisters. Whenever she had something good, she would share it with them first.

Perhaps because Xiang Tian looked clean and fair-skinned, and was obedient and well-behaved, Jian Tongyao considered him young and took especially good care of him. Whether in cultivation or daily life, she looked after him like her own younger brother.

Yet it was precisely this Second Sister who doted on and loved him that coldly refused when he knelt before her in near desperation. Thinking of this, Xiang Tian laughed maniacally.

“Yes, how could Senior Sister bear to harm me? At most, she would just watch coldly from the sidelines and refuse to save me from death.”

He hated the woman before him even more than those who had schemed against him. She had given him hope, then destroyed the only light he had left.

Xiang Tian mockingly snatched the memory stone. A trace of warmth from the other party still lingered on the stone. He dismissed it with disdain.

“Let me see what tricks you’re playing.”

Jian Tongyao remained expressionless. “Some things, it’s time you knew about them.”

The memory stone recorded scenes from a century-old grudge. Back then, the outside world rumored that Xiang Tian’s temperament changed drastically due to the death of his fiancée Yao Man, leading him to brutally kill his fellow sect members. After his hands became stained with too much blood, the sect could no longer tolerate him and expelled him from the sect.

The truth was otherwise. This was a scandal that had been buried for a long time. Not many people who knew the truth were still alive in this world. Quite unfortunately, Jian Tongyao was one of the few remaining people in the know today.

A graceful figure soon appeared in the memory stone. Every gesture and movement was elegant and composed. At first glance, she came from a distinguished family. This woman was Yao Man, Xiang Tian’s wife-to-be, who had not yet entered the family.

Xiang Tian gripped the memory stone excitedly. His eyes reddened as he gazed affectionately at every glance and smile in the memory. But the further he watched, the more ferocious his expression became. The veins on his forehead bulged. A crimson light flashed in his eyes, faintly showing signs of becoming possessed by demons. He murmured in a low voice, “It can’t be. It’s impossible. Absolutely impossible. It’s you people. Every single one of you is lying to me.”

Only when Jian Tongyao searched through the original body’s memories and the main storyline did she discover this secret scandal. If Ling Yan hadn’t actively provoked trouble, perhaps this matter would have been buried forever with the passage of time. “If Junior Brother doesn’t believe it, I have quite a few more memory stones here.”

Creating memory stones was simple through replication and copying.

If one wanted to make them look old, they could be worn down a bit to make them appear like witnesses who had experienced long years.

Xiang Tian clutched his head in agony as if it were about to burst. That day long ago, he had seen his most respected master lying beside his fiancée. The memory became the darkest shadow in his heart. Over the years, he destroyed countless dao companion pairs, numbering in the thousands. As he reviewed the flawed memories, he still could not believe that his once pure and gentle fiancée had secretly been a demonic cultivator who shared her bed with anyone.

On the surface, she showed him concern and care, but in reality, she continuously threw out ambiguous branches toward his senior brothers, junior brothers, and even his master. Whoever caught one could spend a night with her.

Jian Tongyao quietly waited for his emotions to settle. She generously pulled out five memory stones and asked in a friendly manner, “Do you want more?”

Xiang Tian silently watched her. After a long while, he finally spoke.

“If the situation back then was truly a misunderstanding on my part, why didn’t you say so?”

Jian Tongyao was puzzled. “Didn’t we all try to persuade you?”

Xiang Tian was at a loss for words. He remembered that initially, his senior sisters and brothers had all come to persuade and comfort him. They even mentioned that there was a misunderstanding in this matter and that once Master emerged from seclusion, he would certainly clear things up for him. But what had he done?

He stubbornly believed what he saw with his own eyes and refused to believe there was any misunderstanding. In his anger, he believed his master desired his fiancée. He killed several brothers and sisters who tried to persuade him. They had only hinted that Yao Man was not the person he believed her to be.

Jian Tongyao continued throwing out small knives that stabbed at the heart, carelessly tearing open old wounds.

“Could it be that I should have personally told you that everything was deliberately orchestrated by that woman Yao Man to seduce Master, and she even placed a love curse on Master? After Master saw through it and struck her dead with one blow, you happened to witness it. Yet no matter how we explained, you didn’t distinguish right from wrong and felt the entire sect had betrayed you? Do you think everyone in the world has wronged you? That those brothers and sisters who spent decades or even centuries with you deserved to die?”

Xiang Tian remained silent.

The entire place fell into deathly silence. No one dared to breathe loudly.

No one had expected that the root cause of Xiang Tian becoming a demonic cultivator would be casually revealed by Jian Tongyao in front of everyone. Indeed, rumors stopped with the wise. The version that had spread far and wide in the outside world didn’t even come close to scratching the surface of reality.

After Jian Tongyao finished revealing everything, she tossed it aside.

“Let’s not settle old accounts for now. Let’s settle the matter of you conspiring with Ling Yan to scheme against my disciple.”

Xiang Tian’s emotions still remained immersed in the past. Annoyance, regret, remorse, all sorts of grief and indignation nearly buried him. Then with one sentence, she abruptly dragged him back to reality.

Xiang Tian said, “Senior Sister, there’s a misunderstanding in this.”

Jian Tongyao had already located Xiao Jiu’s correct position through Dingding. At this moment, Ling Yan was hiding beneath this calm and peaceful Demon Bone Island. Who knew how much of their conversation she had overheard?

“Is that so? What kind of misunderstanding?”

Xiang Tian harbored a deep hatred for Lingshen Sect disciples and killed them on sight.

Ling Yan had grasped this hatred of his before leisurely coming to seek cooperation.

Xiang Tian’s face wore a hypocritical smile.

“A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. The flood has washed away the Dragon King Temple. Family members don’t recognize family members.”

Jian Tongyao was too lazy to argue with him. If the Xiang Tian who had just entered the Lingshen Sect was a little lamb, then after experiencing hundreds of years of baptism as a demonic cultivator, Xiang Tian had become a black-hearted wolf.

“Xiang Tian, I know far more than you imagine. Since you planned to use this method for revenge, you must have made sufficient psychological preparations.”

The smile at the corner of his mouth gradually disappeared. “What do you want?”

Jian Tongyao replied, “Everything Ling Yan set her sights on, I want it all. Moreover, I want one more thing.”

Xiang Tian’s casual sitting posture had changed at some unknown point. He sat upright, looking at the woman below who was opening her mouth like a lion. The years hadn’t left a single trace on this Second Sister of his. On the contrary, he had become utterly battered and scarred.

“What else do you want?”

Jian Tongyao stated, “The Skyfire you’ve been trying to conceal for the past century, hand it over to me.”

Xiang Tian’s brow furrowed slightly. The way he looked at Jian Tongyao was very complex. He suddenly let out a light chuckle, his smile exactly the same as when he first sweetly called her Senior Sister many years ago.

“I knew nothing could be hidden from you. But Second Sister, what if I refuse to give it to you today?”

Jian Tongyao smiled lightly. “I don’t mind becoming enemies with all demonic cultivators. In the eyes of the outside world, perhaps the version that spreads will be that we martial siblings finally settled our century-old sect grudge completely.”

Xiang Tian relaxed and leaned back against his chair.

“For the sake of your disciple, you don’t hesitate to oppose all demonic cultivators. Senior Sister, you finally have someone you care about.”

He had also heard a bit about how Jian Tongyao had been in long-term seclusion over these years. It seemed that after that incident occurred, this Second Sister of his focused wholeheartedly on cultivation and no longer concerned herself with other matters.

Jian Tongyao didn’t care about exposing her weakness. Even without Ling Yan, Demon Bone Island was the next cultivation site she had chosen for Seventh Sister.

With a series of fierce operations, Ling Yan had inadvertently advanced her plans. “So, your answer is—”

Xiang Tian said, “If Senior Sister is willing to accompany me for one day, I can consider it.”

Accompany?

Accompany him to eat, to drink, to play, or to…

Everyone’s faces showed expressions rich with gossip. One by one, they wore knowing smiles. Their minds had already started running in gear mode.

Before Jian Tongyao could refuse, Qian Wanyu was the first to overturn the water surface. A ball of fire easily dried her drenched wings. “Dream on. I don’t agree.”

Jian Tongyao pulled her aside and performed a quick examination. Apart from the wounds the little golden dragon had inflicted earlier, there were no other new injuries.

“Don’t be angry. This Master won’t agree either.”

Qian Wanyu proudly cast a knowing glance at Xiang Tian. If she had a little tail, it would probably be pointing straight up to the sky right now.

“Master, I locked her in the room.”

The amount of time each of them could maintain control was uncertain. In this power struggle, Qian Wanyu ultimately held the upper hand.

Jian Tongyao asked, “Good. Do you know what transaction Ling Yan made with Xiang Tian?”

Qian Jiujiu nodded. “Ling Yan came to Demon Bone Island for the Fantian Branch. He has this item in his possession.”

This should have been Xu Jiao’s mission. Unfortunately, Ling Yan had overestimated Xu Jiao, this flimsy dao companion. Not only did Xu Jiao sell her out, he also ran away, leaving behind a complete mess. Ling Yan was forced to take the field herself.

Jian Tongyao explained, “The Fantian Branch has the effect of strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality. For Ling Yan, it’s of great use. However, its greatest use is…”

Qian Wanyu tugged at Jian Tongyao’s sleeve and whispered into her ear. Watching them intimately whispering to each other, that inseparable appearance unique to dao companions couldn’t be faked. Xiang Tian seemed to have discovered some interesting secret.

“My dear Senior Sister, so you two have this kind of relationship.”

He smiled wickedly. “Skyfire or not, I can give it to Senior Sister, but Senior Sister must dual cultivate with me—”

A fireball shot over like a small cannonball. The onlookers were forced back by the scorching high temperature released by the fireball. If Xiang Tian hadn’t run fast, he would have turned to ashes like the chair behind him by now.

Qian Wanyu’s fury soared to the heavens. The phoenix spread its wings. Countless sparks gathered into long dragons, stirring up tremendous waves on the calm water surface.

The little golden dragon secretly pushed open Jian Tongyao’s sleeve and watched Qian Wanyu’s show with his mouth agape. Unable to hold back any longer, he whooshed into the water surface. Brilliant golden sword bodies fired in unison, forcing those demonic cultivators to flee in panic. Even the puppets on Demon Bone Island were smashed to smithereens by the sword bodies.

While avoiding the phoenix, Xiang Tian was nearly struck by a sword body. He roared angrily, “Does Senior Sister want to start a war between the righteous path and the demonic path right now?”

Jian Tongyao raised her jade-like hand.

“Xiang Tian, you can protect the Skyfire for a moment, but not forever. You might as well hand it over to me early and preserve your life.”

The reason Ling Yan could locate Xiang Tian with such accuracy wasn’t due to explosive good luck but because she followed the same old path from her previous life. Ling Yan knew that Xiang Tian controlled what she wanted most. She first played along with him falsely, then waited for the best opportunity to strike with one decisive blow. This way, she could both eliminate a demonic cultivator and gain a good reputation from the righteous path. It was truly killing multiple birds with one stone.